he is talking about servers not streamers.
If one box, such as the Antipodes DX2, can be both a streamer and the server why is it wrong to call it a streamer?
What makes One Music Server Sound Better than Another?
So this week my Mojo Audio DejaVu music server that I have used for the past 2-3 years crapped out. Benjamin at Mojo was more than helpful and the DejaVu is on its way to Mojo Audio where it will make a full recovery.
Thankfully, I still have my Antipodes DX2 Gen 3 (their former flagship) music server so I hooked it up. After wrestling with Roon protocols, transfers, and set-up menus, I was able to get it going so I have music. The DX and my Sonore Sig Rendu SE opt. are both connected to my network so the DX (like the DejaVu), is only being used as a Roon core and the Sig Rendu SE serves as the Roon endpoint for streaming Tidal and Qobuz, with a direct USB connection to my DAC.
The point of this thread is to ask, how come I perceive the the DejaVu server as sounding better than the Antipdes DX? In fairness, the differences I perceive are not great but it seems the DejaVu is fuller sounding, more tonally rich, and bolder. Is this why some here spend $10K+ on a Grimm, Taiko or something else?
If a server is basically a computer, sending digital information to a streamer/endpoint and, assuming that digital information is transmitted asynchronously and reclocked by the DAC’s master clock, and assuming noise is not the issue (i.e., both units are quiet and there is an optical break between the network and both the server and endpoint) then what are the technical reasons one should sound better than the other? It is not that I want to spend $10K+ on a music server with a lifespan of maybe 5 years before becoming obsolete, but I would like to understand what more you are getting for your money. So far, the best I can come up with is lower internal noise as the major factor.
As a side note to the above, when I thought things looked hopeless for getting set up, I scheduled a support session with Antipodes and, although I lucked into the solution before the meeting time, Mark Cole responded ready to help. Setting up the session was super easy and reminded me of the superior level of support I had come to enjoy from Antipodes during the time that the DX was my primary server, including multiple updates and 2 or 3 hardware upgrades, which prolonged the service life of the DX. Good products and good company.
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@mclinnguy it’s not wrong. The op is talking about the mojo device specifically and as a server. I am not familiar with it but from what I read it is both: an “integrated” server and streamer in one box , but same reasons would apply regarding why it may sound unique or different from other similar devices. A streamer in particular is a more likely place for DSP tricks to be implemented. Take Roon in particular. The DSP engine included in Roon is capable of totally transforming the sound in various ways as desired. |
That’s what threw me off. My bad @mitch2 |
Recognizing that this is an unpopular view for some on this forum, I still feel compelled to offer a counterpoint. For years, the official position of Roon was that assuming a basic level of isolation in the streaming chain and sufficient power to run the software, the server doesn’t affect sound quality. And the Roon founder has authored many technical posts on the Roon forum in support of this position. (He’s quite good, btw.) Of course, shortly after Harmon acquired Roon, Roon announces the Titan, signaling a pretty significant strategic change. They are discontinuing the Nucleus and Nucleus+, whose competition at the “low end” of the market was Small Green Computer and diy NUCs. They obviously rushed the announcement for CES, as they don’t even have a picture of what the Titan looks like cuz it doesn’t exist yet. What’s the strategy shift? They’re gunning for the high price, high profit end of the market, Aurender, Innuos, Lumin, Antipodes, etc. What does the Titan offer? “Nucleus Titan, starting at $3,699 base price (U.S.) is the only choice for those seeking a premium Roon server that promises a superlative Roon experience paired with breathtaking visual appeal.
That’s it. It’s prettier. So the technical reason for spending a lot of money on a server is that the manufacturer makes more profit. Now to be clear, contrary to what I’ve been accused of by others on this forum, I don’t believe that everything can be revealed by measurements, or that cables don’t matter, etc. I just believe that right up to when the digital data stream is introduced to your DAC, measurements can pretty much tell you everything you need to know(e.g., bit perfect-ness, jitter, power supply noise, etc.). From the DAC onwards, I think standard, ASR-style measurements are woefully inadequate, and yes, in tha analog realm - which includes the DAC, power cables and interconnects (within reason of course), matter. I’m just a big believer in spending money where it can make a material difference (and not wasting money where it doesn’t). |
I would tend to agree with @mdalton and plan to do some posts very soon relating some recent experiences/experiments I have done that support those conclusions. |
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